The Representation of the Veil and Zenanas in Pakistani Feminists' Texts
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Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 4-20-2012 12:00 AM Architectures of the Veil: The Representation of the Veil and Zenanas in Pakistani Feminists' Texts Amber Fatima Riaz The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Kim Solga The University of Western Ontario Joint Supervisor Dr. Nandi Bhatia The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in English A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Amber Fatima Riaz 2012 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Comparative and Foreign Law Commons, Comparative Literature Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, Modern Languages Commons, Other English Language and Literature Commons, Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons, Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons, Religion Commons, Television Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Riaz, Amber Fatima, "Architectures of the Veil: The Representation of the Veil and Zenanas in Pakistani Feminists' Texts" (2012). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 448. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/448 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ARCHITECTURES OF THE VEIL: THE REPRESENTATION OF THE VEIL AND ZENANAS IN PAKISTANI FEMINISTS’ TEXTS (Spine title: ARCHITECTURES OF THE VEIL) (Thesis format: Monograph) by Amber Fatima Riaz Graduate Program in English A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Amber F. Riaz 2012 THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies CERTIFICATE OF EXAMINATION Joint Supervisors Examiners ______________________________ ______________________________ Dr. Kim Solga Dr. Shazia Rahman ______________________________ ______________________________ Dr. Henri Boyi Dr. Nandi Bhatia ______________________________ Dr. Pauline Wakeham ______________________________ Dr. Manina Jones The thesis by Amber Fatima Riaz entitled: Architectures of the Veil: The Representation of the Veil and Zenanas in Pakistani Feminists’ Texts is accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy ______________________ _______________________________ Date Chair of the Thesis Examination Board ii Abstract My dissertation, which works at the intersections of feminist theory, architectural theory and postcolonial literary theory, examines the spatiality of the zenana and the burqa as represented in Pakistani literary and cultural texts. I propose that the burqa creates a portable closet, an interstitial, liminal, “third space” that allows Pakistani (secluded and veiled) women to not only traverse the borders between the private (female, domestic) and public (male) spaces, but to also signal chastity and religiosity while in the public, and semi-public spaces of the cities and villages of Pakistan. I argue that the dupatta, the chador and the hijab (different types of the veil) function in a manner similar to the burqa and the zenana, even though the veils do not enclose or restrict the woman’s body in the same way. I focus on General Zia-ul-Haq’s Islamization of Pakistan’s constitution (1977-1988) and examine the impact of specific laws on women’s mobility in the decade following Zia’s death (1988- 1999) as represented in literary and cultural texts. I examine Tehmina Durrani’s Blasphemy (1996), Maniza Naqvi’s Mass Transit (1998), Shahid Nadeem’s PTV drama serial Neelay Haath (1989), Sheema Kermani’s music video “Aseer Shahzadi” [Imprisoned Princess] (2002) and Shahid Nadeem’s theatrical farce “Burqavaganza” to show that the enclosures created by the segregation system are paradoxical spaces that are both restrictive and imprisoning but also comforting at the same time. The complex relationship of these authors and artists with the veiling and segregation system highlights the conundrum that most Pakistani feminists face: any challenge to the veiling and segregation system in Pakistan is seen as a questioning of Islam, and hence blasphemous. It also shows that a complete abolition of the veiling system may not even be desired, for the system is used consistently by Pakistani women to win concessions from a patriarchal state. Keywords Islamic Veil, Muslim Feminism, Veil, Pakistan Literature, Tehmina Durrani, Maniza Naqvi, Shahid Nadeem, Sheema Kermani, Islamization of Pakistan, Hadood Ordinance, Luce Irigaray, Homi Bhabha, Interstitial Space, Third Space, Portable Closet iii Acknowledgements I owe the completion of this dissertation to a number of people who contributed their time and their intellect to the work and made it better than I had envisioned. I offer my thanks: To Dr. Kim Solga, my mentor, whose Graduate Seminar on Feminist Architecture inspired my ruminations on the spatiality of the veil and the gendered home, and whose insights, comments, criticisms, witticisms and passion made this dissertation (and me) stronger and more powerful. Thank you, Kim, for teaching me how to write exactly what I mean. To Dr. Nandi Bhatia, who has known me since I was an undergrad, who has stood by me through all the twists and turns of my career, and who has read multiple drafts of this dissertation, offering insight and perspective, perspective that I often lost in the writing process. Thank you, Nandi, for reminding me consistently to pay attention to contexts and to materiality. To Leanne Trask, Vivian Foglton and Beth McIntosh, who were never too busy to answer my (often mundane) questions, and to offer support. Your patience, your laughter, your understanding made the administrative labyrinth a little easier to navigate. To the Inter-Library Loan staff at Weldon, who procured my texts for me, shipping them in quickly and efficiently, finding newspapers that are not easily available even in Pakistan. My research, this dissertation, would have been incomplete without your tireless efforts. To Alia and Suvadip, who made the first few years in UC 170 warm, welcoming and lively. Our PoCo space became home to many afternoons filled with tea and banter. Alia, thank you for never letting me disappear from your life, for encouraging me to talk about the dissertation, and for offering insights that made my chapters stronger, more coherent. To Ann, Somaya and Allison—my fellow FRG Feminists. Together, we discovered Irigaray, Butler and Kristeva, and together we learnt to survive Grad school with dignity and laughter. To my incredible circle of friends: Elia, Jessica, Elan, Michelle, Brooke, Erica, Audrey, Summer, Ferzana, Rahila, Emily, Klara and Nazia for believing in me, and for offering support. To Abbu and to Ammi who supported me in this endeavour with everything they had. Thank you for teaching me how to be the best in the world. To my children, Aleena and Aasir, for keeping me grounded, for loving me so completely, for intuitively understanding at times that I needed to work, even in the evenings. This dissertation is for you. To my husband, my partner, my best friend, my support system, who believed wholeheartedly in my ability to finish the degree, even during the days I did not believe in myself. Thank you for being the wind beneath my wings, and for lending me yours when I forgot how to fly. iv Dedication To Azeem, Aleena and Aasir Without you, my life would have been without sunshine I love you with all my heart v Table of Contents CERTIFICATE OF EXAMINATION ........................................................................... ii Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iv Dedication ........................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... vi List of Appendices ............................................................................................................. ix Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 The Portable Closet: Pakistani Feminism’s paradoxical relationship with the Muslim Veil ........................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 “Chador aur chardewari”: Veiling and Segregation in Pakistan ............................. 5 1.3 From Zenana to Dupatta: Different types of veils and their impact on women’s mobility ................................................................................................................. 10 1.4 The Portable Closet: Negotiating the Borders between Domestic and Public Spaces ................................................................................................................... 12 1.5 Chapter Outlines